I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins Published by St. Martin's Press on January 3 2023
Genres: Adult
Pages: 288
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Twisty and entertaining, The Villa offers up interesting characters and relationships and a compelling mystery.
The Villa certainly has an intriguing premise, and for the most part, I thought all the parts came together in a twisty, complex story. It was a solid four star read for me, and even though I have a few reservations, I’m very glad I read this book.
The story unfolds over two different timelines. In the present, we meet Emily McCrae, author of a semi-popular cozy mystery series called Petal Bloom. Emily’s writing is stalled as she’s trying to finish the tenth book in the series, and she’s already missed her publisher’s due date. One day, out of the blue, she gets a call from her old friend Chess Chandler. Chess is a famous self-help author, and while the two women used to be close, they don’t really keep in touch these days. Chess wants Emily to join her in Italy for the summer. She’s rented an old villa in the small town of Orvieto, a quiet place where Chess and Emily can not only spend time together, but work on their respective books. Emily thinks the change of scenery is just what she needs to jump start her creativity, and when they arrive, Emily is thrilled to find Villa Aestas is full of charm and inspiration. Not only that, but it turns out the villa is a famous “murder house,” where back in 1974, an up and coming musician named Pierce Sheldon was brutally murdered.
The second timeline takes place in 1974 where we follow a group of five young musicians and writers, including nineteen-year-old Mari Godwick, her boyfriend Pierce, and her stepsister Lara. The three have come to the same villa in Orvieto so that Pierce can work on his next album. Joining them are Noel Gordon, a famous rock-and-roll musician, and Johnnie, Noel’s drug dealer. But the heady mix of drugs, alcohol, sex and jealousy eventually results in Pierce’s murder, and Johnnie is ultimately arrested for the crime.
The two timelines are connected when Emily discovers an old copy of Lilith Rising tucked away in a bookcase, the bestselling book that Mari wrote when she stayed at the villa. Emily is fascinated by the parallels she sees between the book and the shocking true crime murder that took place in 1974. Inspired by the events of the past, Emily suddenly finds her creative juices flowing, especially when she starts to uncover clues in Mari’s manuscript.
There is a lot going on in The Villa, and you need to stay on your toes to keep everything straight. Even after taking notes and highlighting in my Kindle I’ll admit I was confused at times. I have not seen a finished copy of the book, but I struggled with the transitions between the two time periods. For me, there just wasn’t enough of a visual break to cue my brain into switching gears. So at times I forgot which characters I was reading about, if that makes sense. I think smoother transitions would have elevated this book to another level, because I thought it was such a great idea and very clever at times.
That being said, there is a lot I loved about this story. The Villa reads like an intricate puzzle box, with mysteries inside of mysteries. I loved that the Emily/Chess storyline echoes that of Mari and Lara. Both sets of girls are writers or musicians, and they are inspired by what happens at the villa in their respective timelines, inspiration that propels them all to fame. Mari writes Lilith Rising, which is an immediate bestseller. Lara writes her famous album Aestas, which is still played everywhere, years later. Emily and Chess are already both published authors, and their time at the villa gives them plenty of fodder for a spectacular joint project.
Then you have the intriguing mystery of what really happened to Pierce. Emily is fascinated by the murder, and as she reads Lilith Rising, she begins to suspect that there is much more to the story. Her curiosity pays off in a big way and she makes a startling discovery, and this discovery resonates in the future as Emily and Chess make some irrevocable choices that will change their friendship forever.
I did enjoy the 1974 timeline the best, simply because there was so much drama, and the whole “free love,” sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll vibe was just so entertaining. Everyone was sleeping with everyone, Mari and Pierce had an open relationship, so you just know that’s going to cause trouble. Mari and Lara are stepsisters, but Lara is jealous of Mari’s relationship with Pierce so she’s not very nice. I also loved how the men aren’t paying attention to how talented Mari and Lara really are. As Pierce is making a big deal about the album he’s working on, Lara surprises everyone by outshining him with her songwriting abilities, while Mari is quietly writing her masterpiece.
As for Chess and Emily, well, I really didn’t like Chess at all, but you’re not supposed to like her, as she’s the villain of the story. I wanted to yell at Emily for continuing to trust her, but I guess we wouldn’t have the same story if that happened. I also loathed Emily’s soon-to-be-ex husband Matt, who is a complete dickhead and trying to bleed her dry by claiming a portion of any future income she might make on her books. At first I was disappointed in the way the story ended, but after thinking about it a bit, I’ve decided it’s a pretty good ending. Hawkins leaves the reader feeling unsettled and on edge, and for a thriller that’s exactly what you want to do.
It might not be perfect, but The Villa certainly kept me entertained and gave me a lot to think about. I will definitely read more books by Rachel Hawkins!
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
Nice. I’ve been meaning to pick up one of her books for a while, as I enjoy her twitter feed, and this sounds like fun.
I’ll definitely read more of her books!
If despite those transition problems you mentioned this turned out to be a 4-stars read, I certainly need to pay attention! I like the idea of the intricate puzzle readers must solve, because I enjoy this kind of challenge 😉
Thanks for sharing!
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…EPISODE THIRTEEN, by Craig DiLouie
I love “story within a story” type reads, and this had enough of that to make it very interesting:-)
This sounds good! I love the juicy drama
It was very juicy, lol.
Great review, Tammy! This certainly sounds like a drama filled story and you know I would absolutely love the two different timelines. Thanks for sharing!
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Audiobook Review: How Far the Light Reaches by Sabrina Imbler
Thanks Stephanie! I’m a sucker for dual timelines as well, it makes the story so much more interesting:-)
Yours is the 2nd review I’ve read this week, and both have piqued my interest! Maybe based on the marketing, I assumed this wouldn’t be a book for me… but now I”m curious enough to put in a library request. 🙂 Great review!
I’m glad I read it! It’s not my usual genre, but it was fun.
I’ve seen a few reviews and my concern was that things weren’t settled in the end. Maybe the ending is clear, it’s just unsettling. I always like the puzzling stories.
Anne – Books of My Heart recently posted…Thrifty Thursday : Dare Game by Melinda Colt @melinda_colt #ThriftyThursday
I would say things are resolved, but not in a “good” way, lol. Which is ok with me.
It’s been a minute says I’ve read one of these twisty books. I’ll look for it on audio. For some reason, I get less confused with mixed timelines when I’m listening.
Laurie | Bark recently posted…Review: Beguiled by Darynda Jones
I’ll bet this will be really good in audio!
These dual timeline stories can be tricky. Done well they can be fantastic, but it’s difficult to do them really well. Glad to hear you enjoyed this one, though, despite any issues. It’s always nice when that happens.
Agreed, it takes some finesse to pull dual timelines off successfully:-)
I enjoy a good mystery, and featuring a dual timeline as well, this sounds like something I’d probably like.
Pages and Tea recently posted…Book Review: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
It was a lot of fun, even if the dual timeline was a bit confusing.
Dual timelines can be tough, I’ve had one recently too where the transitions were tough. It’s definitely a skill! I did like her Reckless Girls enough that I’ve been very curious about this.
And there definitely sound like Fleetwood Mac vibes in the 74 timeline, which I heard was a partial inspiration.
Greg recently posted…Sunday Post #488
Yes, Fleetwood Mac was an inspiration. I’ll have to try Reckless Girls.
Great review, sounds like a good plot!
Emma @ Words And Peace recently posted…Friday Face Off: The Wonderful Adventures of Nils
Thanks! It was a great idea:-)
I agree about the transitions being tricky in this. I remember getting really turned around when there was a podcast or something randomly flung in there. I preferred the 1974 timeline as well.
Oh yeah, that podcast sort of came out of nowhere, lol.
Yes, this one gave me a whole lot to think about! I think we were meant to see parallels between the sisters and the Emily and Chess in the present, which is maybe why the ending with what happened between the two friends felt so off to me! I was literally going WTF Emily you really gonna put up with all that? I’m still wondering what happened at the end and if that’s really what happened between the two of them because something tells me things just aren’t “cool” like the way the book wants you to think.
Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum recently posted…Bookshelf Roundup 01/22/23: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
The ending was definitely unexpected. I kind of liked it though:-)